The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, for electrical connectors that are coupled with one or more cables.
Some known electrical connectors are joined with cables to electrically couple the connectors with the cables. For example, the connectors may include contacts that engage a peripheral device. The contacts electrically join the connector with the peripheral device. The cable typically includes one or more conductors extending along the interior of the cable throughout the length of the cable. The cable is connected with the connector with the conductors electrically terminated with the contacts to electrically couple the cable with the contacts. Thus, the connector electrically connects the peripheral device with the cable. Electrical power and/or signals may then be communicated between the peripheral device and the cable. In applications where the peripheral device is a solar module or panel, the connector may communicate electric potential or current from the solar module or panel to another external or peripheral device via the cable.
In some applications, the cables joined with the connectors may experience significant forces that pull the cable away from the connector. For example, environmental factors such as ice and snow may add weight to cables joined to connectors mounted on solar panels. This additional weight may pull the cables away from the connectors. If the cables are not affixed to the connectors in a sufficiently strong manner, the cables may become detached from the connectors. That is, one or more of the conductors in the cables can separate from the contacts in the connector, thereby disrupting an electrically conductive path extending from the contacts to the cable conductors.
Some industry standard-setting organizations such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc. set forth standards for cable retention mechanisms. For example, the organizations may require that a cable joined with a connector mounted to a solar panel be able to withstand a minimum force applied to the cable without separating or removing the cable from the connector. Some known connectors do not meet these standards. For example, the cables of some known connectors may separate from the connectors when the minimum force required by industry standards is applied to the cables. Other known connectors meet the industry standards, but include retention mechanisms that are relatively large. For example, some known solar module connectors include pinch ring and nut combinations to secure cables to the connectors. The pinch ring is a ring that is placed around the cable. The pinch ring includes several slots that permit the ring to be compressed down onto the cable. The nut is placed into the connector. The pinch ring is screwed into the nut to compress the pinch ring onto the cable and to couple the cable with the connector. The pinch ring is compressed around the cable when the nut is screwed down or tightened onto the connector. But, the size of the nut limits the size of the connector. That is, the size of the connector typically must be at least as large as the nut. As a result, the profile height of the connector is limited by the size of the nut. In certain applications, the size of the nut may require the connector to have a profile height that is too large. For example, the location in which some solar module connectors are required may be too small to fit a connector having a nut and pinch ring combination.
Thus, a need exists for a connector assembly that affixes cables to connectors in such a manner to increase the force required to separate the cables from the connectors while maintaining a relatively small profile height of the connector.